Develop comprehensive business strategy and research skills essential for today's data-driven marketplace. This specialization combines foundational business knowledge with practical research methods to help you make informed strategic decisions. You'll explore organizational planning, sustainable practices, market research, competitive analysis, and value proposition development while mastering both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. Learn to create compelling business cases, identify target audiences, and measure success through KPIs. From understanding market dynamics to prototyping innovations, you'll gain practical skills using tools like Excel and R for data analysis. Perfect for entrepreneurs, business analysts, marketing professionals, and managers looking to enhance their strategic thinking with research-backed insights. By completion, you'll confidently apply business strategy frameworks and research methodologies to drive organizational success and make data-informed decisions in competitive markets.
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Foundations of Business Strategy and Research Specialization
Build Strategic Business and Research Skills. Master essential business strategy and research methods for data-driven decision making.
Instructors: Joe Cooke
Included with 
Recommended experience
Recommended experience
What you'll learn
Apply strategic frameworks to analyze markets, competition, and organizational dynamics for informed business planning
Conduct qualitative and quantitative research using Excel and R to gather actionable business insights
Create compelling value propositions, business cases, and KPI systems to drive strategic decision-making
Overview
Skills you'll gain
- Value Propositions
- Sales Strategy
- Market Research
- Risk Management
- Sustainability Reporting
- Target Audience
- Business Strategy
- Strategic Decision-Making
- Data Analysis
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Innovation
- Data-Driven Decision-Making
- Ideation
- Benchmarking
- Performance Measurement
- Descriptive Statistics
- Quantitative Research
- Qualitative Research
- Competitive Analysis
- Team Performance Management
What’s included
Add to your LinkedIn profile
August 2025
Advance your subject-matter expertise
- Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
- Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
- Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
- Earn a career certificate from Coursera Instructor Network
Specialization - 12 course series
What you'll learn
Apply strategic thinking to define and achieve business objectives.
Recognize and apply organizational dynamics to enhance team performance and company culture.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Understand the economic and reputational impacts of sustainability on business operations.
Explore global initiatives and standards promoting sustainable business practices.
Learn to implement and adhere to sustainability reporting frameworks like GRI and SASB.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Evaluate business acumen components, focusing on decision-making, financial literacy, and market insights.
Synthesize market trends to understand competitive landscapes.
Formulate strategies to navigate business challenges.
Critique business strategies with an eye toward economic and industry trends.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Evaluate the Components of Effective Value Propositions.
Synthesize Value Proposition Frameworks for Diverse Industries.
Design and Articulate Compelling Value Propositions.
Critique and Improve Existing Value Propositions.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Identify the fundamentals of competitive analysis and benchmarking.
Interpret and apply market research insights to practical problem solving.
Communicate clearly comprehensive competitive analysis reports.
Evaluate and strategically apply competitive analysis.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Analyze the importance and levels of business innovation.
Apply a model to generate opportunities for business improvements.
Implement prototypes strategically while managing resources and embracing failure.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Explain the importance of KPIs in achieving organizational goals.
Identify the right KPIs for different business units and objectives.
Implement KPIs within your business framework, employing best practices for data collection and analysis to drive improvement.
Assess the impact of KPI-driven strategies on business performance, using data to iterate and enhance business processes.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Examine qualitative research fundamentals by grasping the key principles, methodologies, and philosophical foundations of qualitative inquiry.
Design effective studies by framing research questions, choosing appropriate methods, and planning studies that yield rich and relevant data.
Apply data collection techniques by conducting interviews, facilitating focus groups, and documenting observations confidently.
Analyze themes using coding techniques to identify patterns, refine insights, and create actionable, valid research findings.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Evaluate the importance and impact of accurately identifying your target audience on business growth.
Synthesize information from diverse sources to create detailed audience profiles.
Implement effective strategies for engaging with and gathering feedback from your target audience.
Critique the ethical implications and privacy concerns associated with targeting specific audience groups in marketing campaigns.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Design a basic quantitative study, including determining research questions, selecting appropriate methods, and implementing data collection.
Perform basic statistical analyses (mean, standard deviation, correlations) using Excel and R.
Interpret descriptive statistical results to support informed decision-making.
Apply ethical considerations and quality checks throughout study design, data collection, and analysis to ensure rigor and reliability.
Skills you'll gain
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Frequently asked questions
While foundational concepts are covered, this intermediate-level program requires basic computer skills, spreadsheet familiarity, and high-school level math for the quantitative research components.
You'll gain hands-on experience with Excel for data analysis, R programming for statistical analysis, and various business strategy frameworks for competitive analysis and planning.
This program develops essential skills for strategic business roles including business analyst, marketing professional, product manager, and entrepreneur positions requiring research-backed decision making.
More questions
Financial aid available,